Car torched in late-night attack as masked men dressed in black hunted by police

Two men were spotted in the area at the time dressed all in black and wearing face coverings.

A car was torched in a late-night attack in Blantyre on Sunday. The alarm was raised around 11.40pm when officers were alerted to a motor having been set alight on Ivy Place in the South Lanarkshire town.

Emergency services, including Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, raced to the scene. The blaze was extinguished. No one was injured in the dramatic incident.

Police are now hunting two men who were seen pushing a bicycle in the area at the time. The men were dressed in black clothing and wearing face covering.

Cops are trawling through more CCTV footage to get to the bottom of what happened. The force has also issued a public appeal for information, particularly drivers who may have stumbled across some relevant dash-cam footage.

Detective Constable Stuart Adams said: “I am appealing to anyone who was in the area around the time of the fire to think back and consider if they noticed anything suspicious or unusual.

“I would also appeal to any motorists with dash-cam to check their footage for any images which could assist our investigation. Any small piece of information could prove relevant.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 3677 of Sunday, 2 August, 2026. Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where you can give your information anonymously.

In a separate “reckless” incident a car was set alight in Stevenston, North Ayrshire on Tuesday. The motor went up in smoke around 1am on Millhill Road, prompting a hefty emergency response. No one was hurt.

Detective Constable Martine Armstrong said: “Thankfully no-one was injured as a result of this reckless act. Our enquiries are ongoing and I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident and hasn’t already spoken to officers to contact us. I would ask anyone who was in the area and has dash cam or private CCTV footage which could assist to get in touch.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 0164 of 28 July, 2026.